Interior Painting Cost: Per Room, Per Square Foot and Whole House (3 References)

Painting the interior of a house costs a national average of about $2,022, with most homeowners paying $965 to $3,089, based on 65,117 verified projects reported to Angi.¹ A full whole-house repaint covering walls, ceilings, trim and doors runs higher: $3,500 to $10,000 depending on size.² A single room typically costs $350 to $850.² Prices below are national averages* for 2026.

*National averages, not local quotes. Your price depends on home size, which surfaces are included, paint quality, wall condition, and local labor rates.

$965 – $3,089

most homeowners, Angi (65,117 projects)

$2.75 / sq ft

walls only, Angi

$350 – $850

average room, HomeGuide

75–95%

share that is labor, Angi

Quick math: painters quote by surface area, not floor area. HomeGuide’s floor-space shortcut is $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space for a full interior², so a 2,000 sq ft house lands at $6,000 to $8,000 in its size table.² For a single room, multiply the floor area by $3 to $7, or just use the per-room table below.

Cost by home size

HomeGuide’s whole-interior table covers walls plus ceilings, trim and doors at the high end; the low end is walls only.² Angi’s per-size figures run lower because its average project covers fewer surfaces: its 1,000 sq ft row is $2,000 to $6,000 against HomeGuide’s $3,000 to $4,000.¹

Home size	Cost to paint interior (HomeGuide)
800 sq ft	$2,400 – $3,200
1,000 sq ft	$3,000 – $4,000
1,200 sq ft	$3,600 – $4,800
1,500 sq ft	$4,500 – $6,000
2,000 sq ft	$6,000 – $8,000
2,500 sq ft	$7,500 – $10,000
3,000 sq ft	$9,000 – $12,000

The two sources disagree on the whole-house average: Angi reports $2,022 across its verified projects, while HomeGuide puts the national average at $7,500.¹² The gap is mostly scope. Angi’s figure averages every interior project its pros reported, including many walls-only jobs, while HomeGuide’s describes a full interior repaint. Treat Angi’s number as the typical single project and HomeGuide’s as the typical everything-at-once repaint.

Cost per room

The average room costs $350 to $850 to paint, and a standard 12×12 bedroom runs $400 to $950.² Fixr prices a 330 sq ft living room, primed and painted, at $990 to $1,320.³

Room	Average cost (HomeGuide)
Bathroom	$150 – $400
Primary bathroom	$250 – $650
Kitchen (walls)	$150 – $250
Bedroom	$350 – $850
Primary bedroom	$650 – $1,400
Living room	$600 – $2,000
Dining room / hallway	$300 – $1,000
Open-plan basement	$800 – $2,500

By room dimensions, HomeGuide puts a 10×10 room at $300 to $700 and a 16×16 at $750 to $1,400, walls-only at the low end and all surfaces at the high end.² Fixr’s walls-only rate of $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot puts the same 12×12 room’s walls at $215 to $505, noticeably below HomeGuide’s $400 to $950 for the room — one of the wider disagreements between the two, so collect local quotes before budgeting to either.²³

Cost by surface

Wall-only work is the cheapest scope; adding ceilings, trim and doors roughly doubles the per-square-foot rate.² Angi quotes $2.75 per square foot for walls alone and $4.70 per square foot for walls, trim and ceilings together.¹

Surface	Average cost	Source
Walls	$1 – $2 per sq ft	HomeGuide²
Walls (alt. quote)	$2.75 per sq ft	Angi¹
Ceilings	$1 – $2 per sq ft	HomeGuide²
Trim and baseboards	$1 – $4 per linear ft	HomeGuide²
Accent wall	$80 – $200 flat	HomeGuide²
Walls + trim + ceilings	$4.70 per sq ft	Angi¹

An accent wall also adds 20% to 30% to a room’s budget for the extra paint, taping and drying time.¹ Most painters carry a minimum project price of $250 to $500, so very small jobs cost more per square foot.²

Paint and materials

Paint itself runs $15 to $40 per gallon by brand and finish, with specialty formulas at the top of that range.¹ Fixr’s wider survey puts latex at $15 to $50 and oil-based at $20 to $60 per gallon, and primers at $15 to $80 depending on type.³

Paint type	Cost per gallon (Angi)
Primer	$10
Flat	$13
Semi-gloss	$17
High-gloss enamel	$35
VOC-free	$35

One gallon covers roughly 300 to 400 square feet per coat; textured or thirsty surfaces need more.¹ Labor dominates the bill either way: 75% to 95% of an interior project by Angi’s accounting, 70% to 85% by HomeGuide’s.¹²

Prep, repairs and extras

Extra	Average cost	Source
Wall prep (sanding, patching)	$0.50 – $0.75 per sq ft	Angi¹
Drywall repair	$600 average	Angi¹
Textured-wall surcharge	up to +50%	Angi¹
Add wall texture	+$0.80 – $2.00 per sq ft	HomeGuide²
Wallpaper removal	~$3 per sq ft (~$535 per 12×12 room)	Angi¹
Popcorn ceiling removal	$1 – $2 per sq ft	Angi¹

Doing the prep yourself is the biggest lever on a labor-heavy quote: moving furniture, removing switch plates and patching small holes before the crew arrives cuts hours off a job where labor is most of the bill.¹

Worked examples

Example 1 — one 12×12 bedroom, walls only. HomeGuide’s range is $400 to $950 for the room; at its $3 to $7 per-square-foot-of-floor-space shortcut, 144 sq ft lands at $432 to $1,008, bracketing the same figure.² Fixr comes in lower at $215 to $505 for the walls alone³ — a real disagreement, so treat $250 to $950 as the honest national band.

Example 2 — whole 2,000 sq ft house. HomeGuide’s size table says $6,000 to $8,000.² Its own floor-space rate checks out: 2,000 sq ft at $3 to $4 per square foot gives the same $6,000 to $8,000 (the $3 to $7 range’s low-to-mid band, since the $7 end assumes premium paint and difficult rooms).²

Example 3 — DIY paint budget for a 2,400 sq ft house. Angi’s rule of one gallon per 400 square feet means 2,400 ÷ 400 = 6 gallons per coat.¹ At $15 to $40 per gallon, that is $90 to $240 in paint per coat — the reason DIY saves so much on a job that is mostly labor. These are illustrative numbers, not quotes.

FAQ

How long does interior painting take? Budget about a day per room DIY (prep one day, one to two coats the next, 12 hours between coats). A pro crew typically paints a room in about two days and a whole house in one to three days.¹

When is the best time of year? Late fall and winter. Cooler, drier air helps paint cure faster and adhere better; avoid painting on rainy or snowy days when indoor humidity climbs.¹

How much paint do I need? About one gallon per 300 to 400 square feet per coat. Overestimate toward 300 for textured walls or thinner formulas.¹

Is interior painting worth it before selling? It is one of the highest-return refreshes: HomeGuide cites a return on investment often above 100%.²

How do I cut the quote? Do the prep yourself (moving, taping, patching), buy your own materials to avoid markups, paint trim and ceilings in the same visit, and skip low-traffic rooms.¹

Sources

Angi, How Much Does It Cost to Paint the Interior of a House? (2026 data; averages from 65,117 verified projects).
HomeGuide, 2026 Interior Painting Costs.
Fixr, Cost to Paint a Room (updated January 2025).

DIY shopping: interior paint at Home Depot (plain link, no affiliate relationship). One gallon covers 300 to 400 sq ft per coat.